Google Glass, the futuristic marvel developed by Google X released in February last year is apparently suited to the need of specialized users such as surgeons. Two physicians at Indiana University Health

Methodist Hospital Dr. Szotek and Dr. Jeff Browne have become the first to use Google’s wearable technology during their four-hour abdominal surgery procedure. Both the doctors used this miniature head-mounted computer to access the patient’s medical records and more as they removed out a tumor. Glass is controlled over voice activated menus and neither had to worry about any chances of infection

I don't agree. Marketing is still Marketing but incorporate "digital" stuff. You can't today run a marketing campaign in an old style without digital or run a digital campaign only. Both have to be integrated and combined together and the percentage of digital need to be adapted based on what you want to sell, the target and the cultural behaviour. So today you have to be a Marketers with a Digital mindset.

In an effort to cut down on unnecessary doctor office visits, the UK’s Department of Health plans to ask general practitioners and physicians working at hospitals across the country to encourage their patients to use mobile health apps to track biometrics and symptoms. According to various reports in local newspapers, the Department of Health claims that some 15,000 NHS patients are already using mobile health apps that transmit such information to their physicians. The apps are used by pregnant women, and people with cancer, diabetes, heart problems, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The information transmitted from patients using the apps will be monitored by healthcare providers who will urge patients to visit their doctor or nurses immediately if an abnormal reading comes in, according to a report in the DailyMail. The Department of Health hopes to save the NHS “millions of pounds” assuming the apps help cut down on unnecessary visits. Health ministers also contend that more frequent monitoring will help providers keep tabs on patients so that their condition, which will make it less likely that their condition’s will suddenly deteriorate and require a trip to the emergency room.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the health minister claim that about 25 percent of the people who use the NHS Choices website and app visit their physicians less frequently as a result. In November the NHS Direct app announced more than 1 million downloads.

“So many people use apps every day to keep up with their friends, with the news, find out when the next bus will turn up or which train to catch,” the UK Department of Health’s Secretary Andrew Lansley said in a statement. “I want to make using apps to track blood pressure, to find the nearest source of support when you need it and to get practical help in staying healthy the norm. With more information at their fingertips, patients can truly be in the driving seat.”

Lansley assembled a list of 500 apps and tools that the NHS plans to recommend physicians prescribe to patients, but the NHS is looking to hear feedback from the UK public on which apps they think should be included. The government said the apps should be free or cheap to use, according to the Telegraph report.

One of the apps helps people with food allergies avoid reactions by using their smartphone camera to scan food barcodes and receive alerts and warnings when an allergen is an ingredient. Another app on the list is from Diabetes UK and it provides people with reminders about checking blood glucose levels and taking their diabetes medications. The list includes apps for post-traumatic stress, breast cancer screenings, blood pressure trackers, and more.

The Telegraph asked Phil O’Connell, an IT specialist at the Department of Health who developed some of the apps for the list. O’Connell told the publication these apps did not intend to “replace clinical judgment.” He also said the apps actually reduce anxiety among healthcare providers since they can better detect when a patient’s condition begins to worsen.

Big (and obvious) questions remain: How will physicians and nurses sift through the information streaming in from all these mobile health apps? How accessible will these apps be for the elderly? Will the encouragement of physicians to use these apps be enough to change the health habits of patients in the UK?

43% of rheumatologists report they use four digital devices on a regular basis (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone). 32% report they use three devices and 18% report they use two devices.

Only 7% are only using one device

Among devices used for professional purposes, rheumatologists report they use their smartphone the most often (41%) and their smartphone has the greatest influence (30%) on their practice and clinical decision-making.

Apple has been issued a couple new patents by the USPTO today (via AppleInsider), including one for hover touch sensing, the likes of which we’re starting to see rolled out in Android-powered devices lately like the Samsung Galaxy S4. Another patent issued today covers an embedded heart rate monitor that could add one more sensor to the iPhone, with potential for biometrics and fitness apps.

The touch and hover patent describes a means for detecting when a person’s finger is near to, but not actually in contact with, a touchscreen device. It outlines ways in which hover input can be used to issue commands to a device, with those screens outputting an electrical field to help determine the position of a user’s finger. But the system is about more than just the kind of hover controls that other OEMs have implemented to relatively little effect: Apple describes how the system can be used to offer more effective and accurate errant touch detection.

The hover field could help a mobile device better identify which touches were meant to actually spark an action, and which were accidental or incidental to something else. Apple already does some touch rejection with the latest iPads and their thinner side bezels, and with palm rejection in some apps, but this could theoretically help improve the performance of any accidental touch detection.

The patent also describes a method for better dealing with changing weather and environment conditions when it comes to accurate touch detection. It would work by allowing touch devices to take a baseline reading when conditions are optimal, and then detecting via sensors when conditions change and tweaking touch detection settings slightly to modify and improve accuracy when, say, the weather gets cold. In general, Apple seems to be looking at hover touch tech as more of a supplementary tech than something that will find expression in actual interface design.

As for the heart rate monitor, Apple’s patent describes a sensor found in the screen bezel or other conductive portion of the device that could read EKG data. You could imagine it going into the conductive metal ring around the Touch ID sensor in the current iPhone 5s design, for instance, which would be fitting also because of similar function between the two sensors.

Apple’s patent for heart rate monitoring sensors describes ways they might be used to identify a user according to their unique biometric information. The fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5s serves a similar purpose, but paired with a heart rate sensor, it becomes less of a convenience factor and more about secure identification.

As always, don’t expect to see these Apple patents go into devices immediately, but they do provide an interesting look behind the curtains at Apple’s R&D efforts. Two-factor biometric security would definitely put Apple even more in the lead when it comes to device-based security, and improving touch screens and their performance will always deliver benefits. And Apple already leads the pack in that regard, too, according to recent comparative tests.

Mobile medical apps have become a prominent part of many doctors’ practices. From viewing x-ray results to tracking symptoms and vital statistics, these apps help doctors to diagnose, monitor and treat many common diseases.

Apple's App Store now features an entire collection dedicated to “Apps for healthcare professionals”, and the NHS also offers a library of apps that have been reviewed by medical experts to ensure they are clinically safe.

The prevalence of smartphones and tablets has enabled doctors to take advantage of increasingly flexible access to medical information. Health libraries commonly report that loans of printed material are declining, while subscriptions to electronic books and journals are increasing.

However, the recent growth of biomedical information has left many clinicians suffering from information overload, unable to sort the wheat from the chaff as the knowledge base continues to expand. Doctors need quick and easy access to quality information resources to be able to make informed decisions regarding patient care.

Mobile apps that enable doctors to quickly reference medical research are paving the way for a digital revolution in healthcare

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